DOGE, Love, and a Man on a Mission

There are some words you never expect to hear in marriage. “DOGE” was one of them -- until I sent my sweetheart, Carl, a text message that included the new word.

“Sweetheart!! I never thought DOGE would affect me so personally. I’m giving you until midnight to email me the five (5) things you did around the apartment last week.”

Without hesitation, Carl (ever the noble man) responded like a union worker gearing up for contract negotiations. “This is unfair. I will contact my union representative.” But before calling in the big guns, he presented “Exhibit A” -- his “honey-do” list of contributions, detailed and undeniable:

1. I filled your car up with gas.
2. I emptied the dishwasher and put the dishes away.
3. I brought your car to the door for my sweetie.
4. I set the table.
5. I took the trash bin out and brought it back in.

Then, in true hero fashion, he added: "The list can go on for pages, but I am busy shopping for medicine for my darling. You are welcome!!!" 😍

Ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case.

In marriage, we joke, we nudge, we keep each other on our toes -- but at the heart of it all, love is a verb. It’s in the gas tank refills, the clean dishes, the thoughtful gestures. It’s in the unseen, unthanked moments of kindness that mirror Christ’s command:

"Let all that you do be done in love." — 1 Corinthians 16:14

Carl’s playful response made me laugh, but it also made me grateful. Love isn’t just poetry and candlelit dinners. It’s showing up in the small things, repeatedly. It’s setting the table when you're tired. It’s taking out the trash, both literally and figuratively, to keep the home (and heart) in order.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” And let me tell you, there is no sharpening, quite like marriage. We refine, we stretch, we serve, and -- if we’re doing it right -- we laugh a lot along the way.

So, here’s to all the little things that mean everything. And to my dear husband -- your union representative can stand down. You’ve done well, and, I am a contented officer of DOGE!